1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improvement for an optical disk apparatus, and more particularly to a safety improvement relating to possible optical disk damage during rotation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Optical disk apparatuses comprising a driven spinner, a driving spinner and an optical disk tray are already known.
An example of this type of optical disk apparatus is shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6. FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration showing a cutaway cross-section along the center of a conventional optical disk apparatus 100. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the conventional optical disk apparatus 100.
As can be seen in FIG. 5, the optical disk apparatus 100 comprises a driven spinner 3, a support member 4, an optical disk tray 5, a housing 6, a tray opening/closing mechanism 7, a driving spinner 8, a spinner rotation motor 9, and a reproduction unit 10. The driven spinner 3 retains an optical disk 2. The support member 4 supports the driven spinner 3 in a freely rotatable state. The optical disk tray 5 has a through hole in the center thereof. The tray opening/closing mechanism 7 moves the optical disk tray 5 in and out of the housing 6. The driving spinner 8 moves towards and away from the driven spinner 3 in synchronization with the in and out movement of the optical disk tray 5. The spinner rotation motor 9 rotates the driving spinner 8. The reproduction unit 10 reproduces information obtained from the rotating optical disk 2, and may also incorporate a writing function.
Of the above components, the support member 4 supports the driven spinner 3 in a freely rotatable state, and is fixed to the housing 6, as shown in FIG. 6.
Furthermore, the tray opening/closing mechanism 7 typically comprises a motor, and uses a power transmission mechanism not shown in the figures to slide the optical disk tray 5 in the radial direction of the optical disk 2, in other words, in a left and right direction as shown in FIG. 5, thereby moving the optical disk tray 5 in and out of the housing 6.
The reproduction unit 10 comprises a substrate section 10a and an elevation section 10b, and by moving this elevation section 10b up and down relative to the substrate section 10a using an elevation mechanism not shown in the figures, the driving spinner 8 of the spinner rotation motor 9 provided on the elevation section 10b moves towards and away from the driven spinner 3.
When positioned close to the driven spinner 3, the driving spinner 8 clamps the optical disk 2 in combination with the driven spinner 3, and then rotates the optical disk 2 using the driving force from the spinner rotation motor 9.
A tracer head 11 is one component of the reproduction unit 10, and moves in and out along a slot 12 in the radial direction of the optical disk 2. The slot connects with the through hole provided in the center of the optical disk tray 5.
As follows is a brief description of the opening/closing operation for the optical disk tray 5. First, with the apparatus in the state shown in FIG. 5, if an open/close switch 15 provided inside the housing 6 is operated via a push member 14 on the front panel 13. Then the elevation mechanism (not shown) is activated and lowers the elevation section 10b of the reproduction unit 10. At the same time, the spinner rotation motor 9 and the driving spinner 8 also move downwards, and the optical disk 2, the lower surface of which has been supported by the driving spinner 8, is mounted onto the optical disk tray 5.
In this manner, when the elevation section 10b reaches a lower limit, the tray opening/closing mechanism 7 is then activated and causes the optical disk tray 5 to slide out towards the right of FIG. 5, thereby projecting the optical disk tray 5 outside of the housing 6. In this state, the optical disk 2 can then be removed.
Subsequently, if the open/close switch 15 provided inside the housing 6 is once again operated via the push member 14 on the front panel 13, then the tray opening/closing mechanism 7 is activated again and slides the optical disk tray 5 towards the left of FIG. 5, thereby retracting the optical disk tray 5 inside the housing 6. In this manner, when the optical disk tray 5 reaches the retracted position shown in FIG. 5, the elevation mechanism is once again activated and the elevation section 10b of the reproduction unit 10 is raised. At the same time, the spinner rotation motor 9 and the driving spinner 8 also move upwards, and the optical disk 2, the lower surface of which has been supported by the driving spinner 8, is lifted up off the optical disk tray 5 and pressed against the lower surface of the driven spinner 3.
The optical disk 2, which is clamped between the driving spinner 8 and the driven spinner 3, is then rotated by driving the spinner rotation motor 9. Furthermore, reading or writing of information is then carried out using the tracer head 11, by irradiating a laser light beam while moving the tracer head 11 across the optical disk 2 in a radial direction.
The optical disk apparatus 100 has a face panel 16 which is integrally formed with the optical disk tray 5, and the operation for storing the optical disk tray 5 in the optical disk apparatus 100 can also be performed by pressing the face panel 16 instead of operating the push member 14.
In an optical disk apparatus 100 of this type of construction, the rotational speed of the optical disk 2 was initially assumed to be 200 rpm (CD single speed), and the rigidity and strength of each of the components within the optical disk apparatus 100 were designed for such rotational speeds.
Subsequent improvements in the performance of computers and the like lead to demands for higher reading and writing speeds, and optical disk apparatus 100 of 2-times speed, 4-times speed, and 8-times speed and greater were designed. Recently, optical disk apparatuses 100 with rotational speeds of 9600 rpm (48-times CD single speed) have also been developed.
Moreover, the appearance of optical disks 2 such as CD-ROM disks and the like coincides with the development of the optical disk apparatus 100, and there is a distinct possibility that very early optical disks 2 which have been damaged by scratches or age deterioration may also be used in optical disk apparatus 100 of current specifications.
Although both optical disks 2 and optical disk apparatus 100 have been designed with considerable margins allowed for safety, if an optical disk 2 is damaged during rotation and flies off in a radially outward direction due to the centrifugal force, then in the case where half of an optical disk 2 being rotated in a 9600 rpm optical disk apparatus 100 is torn to pieces for example, the force generated reaches approximately 20.9 Kgf (calculated value). If the optical disk 2 flies directly into the front panel 13 or the face panel 16, then there is no absolute guarantee that the front panel 13 or the face panel 16 could withstand such an impact.
Consequently, in order to resolve this type of problem, an optical disk apparatus has been proposed which comprises a protrusion which protrudes downwards from a position towards the right hand side of the upper inside surface of the housing 6 (refer to position a in FIG. 5), and extends to a position touching the upper surface of the optical disk tray 5.
However, in this type of construction, the optical disk tray 5 may sometimes catch on the protrusion, obstructing the slide operation of the optical disk tray 5.
Furthermore, in cases where the optical disk 2 does not mount perfectly on the optical disk tray 5 and sits with a slight tilt, the tip of the protrusion can rub the surface of the optical disk 2 and generate scratches.
An optical disk apparatus has also been proposed which comprises a circular protrusion on the optical disk tray 5 in a position towards the front of the tray and outside, in a radial direction, the area overlapped by the optical disk 2 (refer to position b in FIG. 5).
However, because this apparatus was constructed to absorb any impact from an optical disk 2 using only the protrusion disposed on the optical disk tray 5, the protrusion on the optical disk tray 5 needs to be built to a height exceeding the rotational plane of the optical disk 2, which then becomes a hindrance in removing the optical disk 2 from the optical disk tray 5. Furthermore, in the case where an optical disk 2 which has flown apart inside the housing 6 rebounds back inside the housing 6, damage to the front panel 13 and the face panel 16 becomes a concern.
An object of the present invention is to resolve the aforementioned problems associated with the conventional technology, and provide an optical disk apparatus in which the optical disk tray can slide smoothly in and out, and the insertion and removal of an optical disk is simple, and wherein inadvertent scratches are not produced on the optical disk surface, and flying pieces of optical disk damaged during rotation are completely prevented from exiting the apparatus.
The present invention is an optical disk apparatus comprising: a driven spinner for retaining an optical disk; a support member for supporting the driven spinner in a freely rotatable state; an optical disk tray with a through hole in at least a central section thereof; a tray opening/closing mechanism for sliding the optical disk tray in a radial direction of the optical disk and moving the optical disk tray in and out of a housing; a driving spinner which moves towards and away from the driven spinner in synchronization with the in and out movement of the optical disk tray and clamps the optical disk in combination with the driven spinner; a spinner rotation motor for rotating the driving spinner; and a reproduction unit for reproducing information from the rotating optical disk, wherein in order to achieve the aforementioned object, a first protrusion is provided on the optical disk tray in a position towards the front of the tray and outside, in a radial direction, the area overlapped by the optical disk, and a second protrusion facing the first protrusion is positioned on a side of the housing.
Because the protrusion for preventing a damaged optical disk from flying out is separated into a first protrusion and a second protrusion facing to each other, the height of each protrusion can be considerably made lower than the protrusions used in conventional apparatuses.
In particular, because the second protrusion can be constructed to have a lower height, the problem of the protrusion provided on the housing side (the second protrusion) catching on the optical disk tray disappears, and so a smooth sliding operation of the optical disk tray can be ensured. Furthermore, the problem of the protrusion provided on the housing side (the second protrusion) rubbing against the surface of the optical disk and causing inadvertent scratches is also resolved, even for those cases where the optical disk is mounted onto the optical disk tray with a slight tilt.
Furthermore, because the height of the protrusion on the optical disk tray (the first protrusion) can also be lowered, the operations for removing or mounting an optical disk on the optical disk tray are also facilitated.
It is preferable that a gap between the first protrusion and the second protrusion, in a direction of a normal line from the surface of the optical disk, is smaller than the thickness of the optical disk itself.
By making this gap smaller than the thickness of the optical disk, any possibility of a disk becoming damaged and flying out through the gap can be completely prevented.
Furthermore, the first protrusion may also be offset to a position outside the second protrusion in the radial direction of the optical disk.
According to such a configuration, any interference between the first protrusion and the second protrusion during sliding of the optical disk tray can be completely prevented, and moreover because the distance between the outer edge of the optical disk and the first protrusion also increases, the operations for mounting an optical disk on, or removing an optical disk from, the optical disk tray are facilitated even further.
In addition, the first protrusion may also be divided, and positioned on both sides of the optical disk tray, in positions towards the front of the tray and outside, in the radial direction, the area overlapped by the optical disk.
This type of configuration is particularly effective for an optical disk apparatus in which the optical disk tray is not completely exposed when moved out of the housing, in other words an optical disk apparatus wherein owing to a short optical disk tray movement stroke, optical disks need to be inserted into and removed from the optical disk tray by tilting the optical disk and raising the front edge of the disk, in that the configuration prevents the possibility of interference between the optical disk and the first protrusion during insertion and removal of the optical disk.
Furthermore, the first protrusion may also be provided as a continuous single body on the optical disk tray, in a position towards the front of the tray and outside, in the radial direction, the area overlapped by the optical disk.
In comparison with the configuration in which the first protrusion is divided, this configuration offers an improved effect in terms of preventing fragments of a damaged disk flying out of the apparatus.
In addition, the support member can also be formed so as to cover at least the front half of the optical disk, with the second protrusion then being formed as an integral part of the support member.
According to this type of configuration, in addition to those fragments to which the optical disk is torn and which fly out in the radial direction, any optical disk fragments which rebound back inside the housing and then fly off in another direction can also be halted by the support member, effectively preventing such fragments from flying out of the apparatus.